


A Little Gem

by pinkevilbob



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, F/M, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Vergesson Sanatorium
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-13
Updated: 2020-04-13
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:07:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,672
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23625862
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pinkevilbob/pseuds/pinkevilbob
Summary: On the night of Marion's 22nd birthday, when she went to sleep, she woke up in the body of her soulmate. A common event really. It happened to everyone who had a soulmate. But it didn't stop it from feeling special to Marion.
Relationships: Jester Lavorre & Marion Lavorre | Ruby of the Sea, Jester Lavorre/Caleb Widogast, Marion Lavorre | Ruby of the Sea & Caleb Widogast
Comments: 18
Kudos: 151





	A Little Gem

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so I've been working on this one for a couple of weeks now, but when I saw this week's hiatus prompt of Marion, I knew I had to post this one this week.
> 
> This is based on the soulmates au where on your 22nd Birthday you wake up in your soulmate's body and try to figure out who they are.
> 
> The song that Marion sings is "I have never loved someone" by My Brightest Diamond.

On the night of Marion's 22nd birthday, when she went to sleep, she woke up in the body of her soulmate. A common event really. It happened to everyone who had a soulmate. But it didn't stop it from feeling special to Marion.

She awoke on a ship to see her hands were blue and covered in rings. Not practical for someone working on a ship, but it just endeared her more to her soulmate. Several months later she lost a day when her soulmate reached his 22nd birthday.

Not all soulmates' stories end as happy ones though. But that didn't stop her from telling her Little Sapphire about soulmates and the fateful day they get to spend in each other's bodies. Jester eagerly looked forward to the day it would happen to her. Marion just hoped that it wouldn't hurt her too much.

* * *

It had been a late night of work for Marion and she was grateful when her client left for their own bed. She had been fighting back a yawn for nearly the last hour. Marion was more than ready to go to bed, but she was tempted to check on her daughter one last time even though Gen-Jester was 16 now and too old for such checks.

Marion leaned her ear against the door only to hear the soft sounds of sleeping. "Sleep well, my Little Sapphire," she whispered. All was well in her world.

Just as Marion climbed into bed a loud thump came from the next room. Jester's room. With a sigh, Marion got back out of bed and went to her daughter's room. Jester was on the floor tangled up in her sheets and blankets. It was so cute it took Marion a moment to compose herself enough to untangle her daughter. "Oh, my Little Sapphire," she said, kneeling down and beginning to untangle her.

Jester stared at her, her eyes big and wide. She pulled back suddenly from Marion.

"Jester?" Marion asked. "Is something the matter? Did you have a bad dream?"

Getting more entangled in her blankets, Jester retreated backwards, her eyes never leaving Marion. She hit the wall and pressed her back against it shaking. There was no doubting it, Jester was terrified.

Marion knelt down on the ground. The sight of her daughter so scared made Marion want to weep, but she had to be strong for Jester. "My Little Sapphire, what scared you?"

The eyes that stared at Marion held no recognition at all.

"You're not Jester, are you?" Marion asked, already knowing the answer. She was speaking to Jester's soulmate. Marion had always known that this day would come, but she had always thought it would not happen so soon. Whoever was in Jester's body was older than Marion had hoped for Jester, but perhaps they wouldn't meet for a while.

Jester's soulmate rocked back and forth not acknowledging what Marion said.

"Are you deaf?" Marion asked. She didn't know much sign language, but she had a hard of hearing client once who showed her a few signs. Marion signed what she remembered to be hello and how are you. All she got was a blank stare. "Are you only mute?" Again she got nothing. Uncertain on what else to do, Marion focused on the problem at hand. "I'm going to untangle you now, okay?"

The stranger in Jester only stared at her, but they didn't move away when Marion moved towards them.

"Here we go." She moved carefully and slowly, gently unwrapping the stranger. Once she freed them, they pressed into her side. "Is that better?" They nodded. So they could hear her. "You need a name, something I can call you by." Marion could hardly just refer to them as a stranger or just Jester's soulmate. "What should I call you, my little gem? My Little Gem, I like the sound of that. Perhaps someday I'll learn what kind of gem you are."

The Little Gem just looked up at her blankly and it broke her heart. Even though she knew it was someone else, it was hard to see Jester look so lost. "Come along, my little gem. I'm sure you must be hungry." This got the Little Gem to perk up. They clung close to Marion as she got up with a chuckle.

It was tricky to get to the little table without tripping with how the Little Gem clung to her. "You're almost as much of a barnacle as Jester was when she was three. If she had her way, she would have spent all the day attached to my leg," Marion said as she sat down. The Little Gem scooted their chair as close to her as they could. Marion pulled the bowl of fruit towards them. "What kind would you like?"

The Little Gem leaned forward and grabbed a handful of fruit and tried to shove it into their mouth all at once.

"No, no," Marion said, gently pulling their hands away. "Small bites." The Little Gem dropped the fruit flinching hard. They covered their head with their arms. "Oh, you poor dear." At first, Marion had wondered if her new little gem was just silent and perhaps a little delayed, but this made her reconsider that. "Oh my Little Gem. The world hasn't been kind to you has it? Here." She picked up the fruit they dropped and stacked it neatly on a napkin. "I'll peel it for you." Plucking first a few grapes for the Little Gem to snack on first, Marion started to peel an orange. She hated the feeling of orange peel under her nails, but it was an easy fruit to eat and the portions were controlled. "Here you go, now small bites," she said, handing the Little Gem an orange slice.

They stared at her for a moment and then stuffed the entire piece into their mouth. Marion couldn't help but smile at this. When she first gave Jester oranges, the little tiefling would mash them in her hair. She knew that the Little Gem was an adult, but they still reminded her of Jester as a child. "I suppose you must be hungry then?" The Little Gem nodded. "I'll call us up an early breakfast then," Marion said, breaking the next orange slice in half before giving it to the Little Gem.

Marion called for room service and asked for a special treat. When she turned back to the table, her Little Gem was trying to get into the fruit basket again. "Patience, my Little Gem," she said. "I won't let you go hungry tonight."

Soon room service delivered Marion's request. The Little Gem leaned forward as Marion set the plate down on the table. Drenched in honey and finely dusted with spices, the honeyflame bread was enough to tempt Marion. She caught the Little Gem's hands before they grabbed the fried bread and inevitably try to put it in their mouth all at once. "Let me help you." Marion tore the sticky treat into small pieces which the Little Gem quickly gobbled up smearing honey on their face.

"Oh my," Marion said chuckling. "Looks like you'll need cleaning up." She wetted a handkerchief(one of her plain ones) and held it up. The Little Gem grumbled but allowed her to clean up their face. "There, all clean." Marion patted her Little Gem's hair on to find they somehow got honey on it. Just like Jester used to. "I'm starting to think that you are two of a kind."

Marion led the Little Gem to her bed and had them sit down in front of her. She first washed the honey out of their hair and then went about brushing their hair. “ _I have never loved someone the way I loved you_ ,” she sang softly. It was a song that she sang exclusively to Jester, but it felt right to share it with Jester’s soulmate.

“ _I have never seen a smile like yours._ ” The Little Gem leaned into Marion making it tricky for her to brush their hair, but she managed Jester’s hair for years, so she was up to anything. “ _And if you grow up to be king or clown, or pauper_ ,” she gently brushed out the tangles, “ _I will say you are my favorite one in town_.” They yawned loudly and snuggled into Marion as she began to braid their hair.

The question of how could this person be Jester’s soulmate kept floating in Marion’s head as she braided. “ _I have never held a hand so soft and sacred._ ” Most likely, they were going to be platonic soulmates which put Marion to ease considering their age gap. Jester spent so much time alone and there was no helping it, but the thought of Jester having a friend out there waiting for her put Marion’s mind at ease. “ _When I hear you laugh, I know heaven’s key._ ” Though the Little Gem’s fear when they first got there was worrisome. Marion would just have to make sure that there was a safe place for them at the Lavish Chateau.

Soft snores interrupted Marion’s song as she noticed that the Little Gem had fallen asleep and gone back to their own body. Marion pressed a kiss onto Jester’s forehead and tucked her into her bed. She just wished that she could do the same for her Little Gem wherever they were.

* * *

Marion stayed up late on Jester’s 22nd birthday. It was not an unusual occurrence for Marion due to her work, but that night she had cleared her schedule and made sure that she had no interruptions to her evening. For once, Jester was excited to go to bed more than ready to see what her soulmate’s world was like. Meanwhile, Marion was preparing for the worst.

At first, Jester slept soundly, and Marion thought that her fears were for nothing. But then Jester began to scream as though she were in great pain. Marion didn't wait to rush into her daughter's room and woke her up. Jester wept in her arms something she hadn't done since she was a little girl. "It's alright, my Little Sapphire. I'm here, I'm here," Marion soothed.

Jester clung to her, still crying. "They're torturing him, Mama. They're torturing him."

"Who?" Marion asked though she already knew the answer.

"My soulmate. He's all locked up. I have to go save him," Jester said.

Marion rubbed Jester's back. "Take a deep breath. What happened?"

"I woke up in a dark room and I was all tangled up, but I was tied up in my shirt and I couldn't move. And I was too scared to move, but then men took me and I don't know what language they were speaking." Jester got up, but she was shaking. "And then they, they took me to this room and strapped me down. They tortured me, him. They're still torturing him, Mama."

Marion's stomach felt heavy as lead. "Maybe, maybe you're just confused? Maybe it was just a nightmare," she said even though she already knew what the answer was.

Jester shook her head. "No, it was real, there's no way that it wasn't real. I have to go save him,"

"Do you know where he is? How to find him?" It was a cruel question to ask, but Marion couldn't risk losing her daughter.

"No," Jester said, hanging her head down low. "But, I have to save him. I can't let them keep doing that to him."

Marion stroked her daughter's hair. "I know my dear, I know. But you can't run off without knowing where he is. You'll find him. Sometimes you just need to give fate time."

"Do you really think so?" Jester asked.

"I know so. There's no stopping you." And there was no stopping the Ruby of the Sea when she called upon her army of admirers. No matter how long it took they would bring her Little Gem home.

* * *

Jester was home again. Her absences weighed down heavily on Marion's heart, but she knew that Jester had to go out into the world sooner or later. But that didn't stop Marion from longing for her daughter. "Sit down," Marion said, "and you can tell me all about your adventures." She patted the chair next to the open window.

With a skip, Jester plopped down on the chair. "Umm, actually, can you sing for me, Mama?"

"Of course," Marion said with a smile. " _I have never loved someone the way I love you._ "

Jester grinned and closed her eyes reminding Marion of the many times she had done this when Jester was a little girl. And the one time she sang it for her Little Gem. There was little success or even the slightest hint of news on where he could possibly be. Without Jester around, Marion’s mind often wandered between worrying about Jester and her Little Gem.

Marion finished her song and Jester’s hair. Jester jumped up and whirled around to give Marion a hug. “Thank you Mama!”

“You’re welcome,” Marion said, smoothing Jester’s hair. She treasured these little moments the two of them shared. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” Jester gave her another hug and skipped out of the room. “Oh! Caleb! What are you doing here?”

The Zemnian wizard blushed slightly. “I had a question for your mother.”

“A question for my mom?” Jester waggled her eyebrows. “What is it?”

Caleb hung his head down a little, not looking anywhere. “Go on,” Marion said. “Or is this a question to be asked in private?”

He shook his head. “Nein, I don’t believe so. That song. What is it? The one you were singing. I’ve heard it before I just don’t remember where.” A heavy frown creased his face.

“You couldn’t have,” Jester said with a touch of smugness. “It’s my song. Mama doesn’t sing it for anyone else.”

“I did once,” Marion said and paused. “Caleb, is your birthday the 18th of Brussendar?”

Caleb stared at her and slowly nodded. “Ja, that’s correct. How did you know?”

“And this year, will you be 34?” Marion asked.

"You read me too well, Frau Lavorre," Caleb said but there was something ill at ease in his voice.

Marion held up her hands. "I don't mean to cause you any distress, but I believe we've met before my daughter introduced us."

Jester gasped. "You have? When?"

"You must be mistaken, " Caleb said. "I've never been to Nicodranas before meeting Jester."

Marion shook her head. “No, I’ve met you before and sang to you, my Little Gem.”

Caleb’s eyes went wide with recognition. “I know you,” he whispered barely making a sound. “I don’t remember you, but I know you. How?”

“Because, you’re Jester’s soulmate,” Marion said. “You visited me the night you turned 22.”

Jester threw her arms around Caleb and hugged him tightly. “You’re okay! I was so worried about you! Ever since I spent that night as you.”

He stiffened in her arms for a short moment before breaking away. “I, I don’t have a soulmate. I would’ve remembered,” Caleb said, but he looked uncertain.

Marion frowned slightly. “Would’ve you? You didn’t seem to be yourself.”

“You may have a point there.” Caleb looked away. “I suppose you spent your 22nd birthday in the woods?”

Jester bit her lip and shook her head. “No. It was a small cell. I was strapped down. They were torturing you.”

Caleb swore in Zemnian. “I’m sorry. You deserved a better soulmate than me. One that wouldn’t put you through that.”

“It wasn’t fault though,” Jester said. “I knew that. I wanted to be the one that saved you. I’m sorry that I hadn’t.”

“Nein, you have saved me,” Caleb said.

Jester gasped. “When?”

“Every day by being my friend.” He brushed her hand slightly as though he was afraid of getting it dirty if he held it.

Marion had to hide her smile behind her hand. Maybe she was too fast to judge them to be platonic soulmates.

**Author's Note:**

> I just wanted to write Marion being a mom to Caleb and taking care of him.


End file.
